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Seattle woman says SHAG doors close too fast

SEATTLE — A Seattle woman with Parkinson's is taking on Senior Housing Assistance Group, known as SHAG, saying doors at their Interurban facility in Bitter Lake shut too quickly for people in wheelchairs.

Dianne Dickerson filed her first complaint in 2014, saying doors throughout common spaces, including the exercise room and the roof garden, were not suitable for electric wheelchairs.

She also recorded videos of the doors that, she said, were closing too quickly, according to federal laws. The United States Access Board states that "door closers and gate closers shall be adjusted so that from an open position of 90 degrees, the time required to move the door to a position of 12 degrees from the latch is 5 seconds minimum."

Dickerson counted off seconds in her videos and stated that the doors closed too quickly. She said she starting using her walker instead of her wheelchair even though it's more painful, just to get through some of the doors.

"I get weaker and -- less able to take care of myself as time goes by," Dickerson said, referencing the progression of her Parkinson's. "So I'm unable to enjoy all the amenities that they advertise because they don't make them accessible to me."

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Court documents state that "SHAG obtained an estimate for the installation of six power-assisted doors at Interurban. The estimate was that it would cost $8,500 per door, or $51,000 dollars total for all doors."

SHAG told her they would approve it if she paid for it herself.

"What was your reaction to hearing those numbers?" KIRO 7 reporter Linzi Sheldon asked.

"I thought it was utterly ridiculous," Dickerson said. She continued submitting requests.

SHAG did its own tests in 2015; it hired a company called Inter-City Contractors, Inc. to test SHAG Interurban's door closures for pressure on all common areas. "All the doors met the required pressure standards of the International Building Codes except for a door leading to a stairwell on level 3 and a door to the trash chute room on level 5," SHAG's court filing stated. "Both doors were immediately adjusted."

Inter-City Contractors' website lists SHAG's Interurban building as one of its own construction projects, completed in October of 2013.

The Seattle Office of Civil Rights sided with SHAG in 2016. Dickerson appealed, however, and the office found in her favor in 2017.

On Oct. 30, 2018, however, the Seattle Office of the Hearing Examiner ruled in favor of SHAG. The City Attorney's Office asked the Hearing Examiner to reconsider its summary judgment ruling and has also filed a petition for a Writ of Review with King County Superior Court, which is essentially an appeal.

Other residents told KIRO 7 they've had the same issues with the doors. A woman who identified herself as Chris and did not want to show her face stated, "The doors are very, very heavy."

Dickerson said she just wants to be able to get around the place she calls home.

"I just want them to fix the doors," she said.

SHAG sent a statement on Wednesday that read in part, "As the rulings and judgments consistently support, and as reflected in the most recent Summary Judgment, SHAG has addressed Ms. Dickerson's concerns. We remain confident we've provided Ms. Dickerson all rights she is entitled to under the law, and look forward to resolving this issue in a fair and equitable manner."